Life is Like a Box of Chocolates

On the first day of class, the professor instructed us to get into pairs and share our names, year, and a simile that summarized the nature of life.

I was paired with a dewy-eyed girl who loved romance novels. She said that life is like a quilt because it's made up of a bunch of different pieces, all stitched together.

She smiled beatifically and waited for me to share mine.

I opened my mouth and said, "Life is like a drive-by shooting. Because one day you're just walking down the street and everything is fine, and then suddenly out of nowhere there are gunshots and you're lying on the street and you're bleeding and you're like, 'What just happened? Why am I lying on the street? Why am I bleeding?'"

My partner blinked. Her smile now seemed pasted on.

"Yeah," I concluded. "That pretty much sums up what life is like."

"Oh," my partner said. "That's interesting," and she never spoke to me again for the rest of college.